How to hire a fractional CMO.
The seven questions
Six red flags
Walk if any of these happen
- They will not tell you how many clients they carry.
- They cannot name the person who will touch your ad account.
- Their first 30 days is a discovery phase and a brand workshop.
- The monthly number is published but the minimum term is not, so a $10,000 month is quietly a $60,000 commitment.
- They cannot tell you who owns the ad accounts on the day you leave.
- The proposal reads like the last three you were sent, down to the gradient.
What it should cost
Open the retainer bands by revenue
| Your revenue | Typical monthly retainer | What it covers | Billed separately |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1M to $3M | $5,000 to $7,500 | One constraint at a time. Usually offer, paid, or measurement. | Ad spend, software |
| $3M to $6M | $7,500 to $12,000 | Full channel mix plus the measurement rebuild. | Ad spend, software, production |
| $6M to $10M | $12,000 to $15,000 | Full marketing ownership plus team direction. | Ad spend, software, production |
Published August 2026, next reviewed February 2027.
Two ways to start
The growth plan call
- What you spend, what you make, where you are stuck
- A 30-minute teardown, live, not prepared in advance
- A written plan in plain English, yours either way
- No deck, no pitch, no close
The Growth Constraint Snapshot
- The binding constraint named, with the numbers behind it
- The sequence to clear it, and what to ignore
- What it is worth if you fix it, and what it costs if you do not
- Delivered in writing, then a call to walk you through it
Questions before you hire anyone
What should a fractional CMO cost?
Expect a published number. ROI.LIVE retainers start at $5,000 and most land between $5,000 to $15,000 a month, inside a published US market range of $1,000 to $40,000. Be more suspicious of the cheapest and the most expensive quotes than of the middle: the 40x spread across the market comes from undisclosed hours and scope.
How fast can a fractional CMO start?
ROI.LIVE starts in 2 to 3 weeks. A full-time CMO search typically runs 3 to 6 months. If a candidate cannot tell you a start date and a first-30-days plan in the same breath, they are selling process, not work.
Should I hire a fractional CMO before or after an agency?
Before. The seat decides what the agency should be doing, what the budget is, and which number defines winning. Companies that hire production first usually end up paying for a plan twice: once to the agency optimizing the wrong thing, and once to the operator who fixes it.
What happens on the first call with ROI.LIVE?
A 30-minute growth plan call, free. You bring your numbers, we open the books together, and you leave with a written plan you keep whether we work together or not. No deck, no pitch, no close.
What references should I ask any candidate for?
One client older than three years, one engagement that went badly and what changed, and the name of whoever touches the ad account. If any of the three produces a pause, you have your answer. Mine: 5.4-year average retention, and the answer to the bad one is on the call.